Neither Freer
by SEXIER THAN TELEVISION
Summary: Bailey Thompson embarks on a journey to find love, friendship, and herself, in her fifth year at Hogwarts. George Weasley x OC, takes place in HP & the Goblet of Fire.
1. Reunion

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Harry Potter, I'd be a happy, happy man indeed.

**Author's Note:** Hello! This is my first fanfic (or the first one I'm posting on here, anyway), so I really hope you like it. It's named after a song by Gregory and the Hawk. It's not a songfic, but I really like the song and the name just sort of...fits somehow. I hadn't planned to write it in 1st person, but I wrote one chapter of it and there was no way I could convert it to 3rd person without basically ruining the whole feel of it. I really like it, so I hope you do too! The bits in italics are flashbacks. I know it won't all make very much sense to you guys, but as the story progresses it will all become clear! Enjoy!

* * *

I love George Weasley. No, seriously, I do! He is like, my bestest-estest friend ever, and I kind of like to think that I'm his. Well, okay, maybe besides his twin brother. I don't know what it is, but we've always connected just _so well_. Ever since way back when he'd comforted me after being sorted into Gryffindor...

_Bailey stepped carefully off the train and into the light rain, not minding it a bit. Anything that took her mind off the imminent and much dreaded sorting was a good thing. She followed the monstrous man they called Hagrid, and stepped into a boat with a few other frightened-looking first years. Her insides all jumped as the boat swayed menacingly before settling back into stillness as it glided silently across the smooth black glass that was the top of the lake. The yellow and orange lights in the windows of the castle reflected like fairy lights on the surface, but still this didn't comfort Bailey. It seemed no matter where she ended up in this school, she couldn't be happy. Slytherin would make her family happy, but deep inside she wanted to be a Gryffindor, like her mother. But what would they think? Surely she'd be disowned. Her mother had been ignored for months. Lucius had even gone so far as pretending not to know her. Bailey wouldn't be able to bear it if such a thing happened to her._

_Much too soon she found herself sitting on the wooden stool before the entire population of Hogwarts, fear in her heart and tears in her eyes, while the big tattered hat whispered in her ear._

_"GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted at last, and students all around cheered. They didn't know, they could never understand. She pretended to be happy, she went and sat with the Weasley twins. They'd always been nice to her. She had met them in London once with her Aunt Susan, who was friends with their mother. They clapped her on the back and smiled, and she pretended to be happy._

_Later on George had found her in a hallway, lost and crying. He'd put his arms around her without hesitation, comforted her without the need of an explanation.  
_

So when I saw him on Platform 9 ¾ that morning, it was hardly surprising that I could _barely_ keep myself from running into his arms. He smiled at me, and I hurriedly said, "Excuse me," to my dad and Aunt Susan. And when we embraced, and I felt our bodies pressed together, my arms around his neck, and his hand stroking my brown, curly hair, it felt like being _home_, in a weird sort of way.

I wasn't sure what we were anymore... I mean, just at the end of June we'd had our 'special moment,' and we'd held hands a couple times since, maybe kissed on the lips once, but were we together? Were we still just really good friends? I didn't know. Maybe he'd found a girl over the summer. He'd always said there was a pretty Muggle girl in the village near his house...

But what I did know was that it felt so good to just hold on to him. And even better to laugh when Fred wrapped his arms around the both of us and yelled, "Group hug!" Lee, of course, threw himself into it, which knocked us a bit off-balance, like some fat, awkward bird with too many legs, but we laughed and righted ourselves. Now _this_ was home. These were my boys, my best friends. My protector-figures, my three musketeers, the people who made me laugh like no others could. They were my _family_, and it felt good to be in their arms.

I giggled and kissed each of them on their cheeks in turn, then pulled away to greet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny. Ginny was as enthusiastic as the guys had been to see me, flinging herself into my arms the moment I was free of her brothers.

"Bailey!" she said, smiling a beautiful, bright smile at me. I _adored_ Ginny. She was like my little sister, only not my little sister. I hugged her and kissed her cheek and buried my face in her bright red hair.

"How are you, Gin?" I asked, pulling back and smiling at her. She was growing up so fast! Thirteen already, I couldn't believe it! She'd grown about three inches over the summer. Or maybe I'm exaggerating... Anyway, I was _so_ happy to see her.

"Great!" she said. "I hear they're doing something new this year, but no one will tell me what it is."

I smiled. Hogwarts was always exciting, but it was nice when they changed it up a bit. "I can't wait to see what it is!"

And the rest is kind of history; it happened, but it wasn't nearly exciting enough to have to read.

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**Author's Note: **Alright, that's it for chapter one! I really hope you liked it! Leave reviews! Constructive criticism is _always_ welcome. I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	2. Old & New

**Author's Note: **Welcome to chapter two of Neither Freer! Just to remind you, the text in italics are flashbacks, and yes, they're in third person. The rest of it's 1st person, from the point of view of Bailey Thompson, a made-up character of mine. I hope you like it!

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"So, erm... I wanted to ask you..." I said, following George down the corridor to his Charms class. I took a pause, searching for the right words, my eyes trained on the ceiling as though they might be written there. I wanted to make sure I got it right, that I didn't mess it up. "Did you..." I was stumbling, tripping over my words like an idiot, or some sappy, lovestruck little girl. _Just say it!_ "Do you - "

"Hey Bailey!" It was Lee. He'd come up behind me and leaned his arm on my shoulder. Alright, I don't always hate being short, but it's times like these when I do.

"Shouldn't you be in Arithmancy or something like that?"

I smiled at Lee, but my heart seemed to drop into my stomach. _Foiled again!_ "Free period," I said, showing him my schedule again. He'd have it memorized in about another week. He always did, every year before. Like tradition. Man, for a group of...well, what would you call us? Hooligans? Rebels? Renegades? Well whatever you'd call us, for a bunch of 'us', we sure have a lot of traditions. Weird traditions.

"Ah, yeah, that's right. Well, catch you later," he said, and started to walk into the classroom. "Coming George?"

"Yeah," said George, and he turned and smiled apologetically at me as the bell rang and he followed Lee into Professor Flitwick's classroom.

I sighed, and leaned against the stone wall, like I needed to catch my breath. Why did he get me so flustered all of a sudden? And every time I got up the nerve to say something to him, it was like fate stepped in. Did the universe not want us together or what?

The stone was nice and cool, and I let myself slide down to the floor, stretching my legs over the marble floor. I knew it was an undignified position, but I've never been one to care all that much about dignity. I took another deep breath and closed my eyes, and let my mind wander to the night that had started this whole stupid, confusing thing.

_"Oh, look at that one!" said Bailey, tracing the path of the shooting star with her finger against the sky._

_George smiled. She loved they way the starlight caused his brown eyes to twinkle. She giggled._

_"__What?__"__ he asked, turning to look at her. She also liked the shape of his nose, how it was just a little too big but in just the right way. And his freckles, and the chocolatey color of his eyes. His tan but not-too-dark skin and his bright red-orange hair that had grown just a bit too long during the school year._

_They lay on their backs on the cold stone of the balcony, their secret meeting place ever since its discovery, looking up at the stars and enjoying the cool breeze on this otherwise warm early-summer night._

_It was what had become their tradition, to lay up here at least one summer night every year, reminiscing and talking about the future. It'd started in Bailey's first year, when, upon finding the hidden and almost impossible to get to balcony, George had chosen to show it to her first – before he'd even told Fred about it. It had been a measure of their friendship, and of George's desire for Bailey to always feel like she belonged somewhere. There._

_With him._

_"__Your eyes are twinkling,__"__ she said, smiling at him._

_"__Sparkling, Bailey. They're sparkling.__"__ He laughed, and turned back to look up at the stars. What he was really thinking about was how her blue eyes looked like a mini replica of the sky above them, each star perfectly reflected. How her stars moved just slightly as she breathed or spoke. And he was thinking about the lips that all her beautiful words came out of. Pleasantly full and naturally pink. Beautiful. So was her laugh. Like... it was like the best thing you've ever tasted, but for your ears._

_He couldn't help but feel sort of elated, like he was full of helium and could just float off into the stars as he lay there shoulder to shoulder with her. She was the person he was closest to in the entire world – besides Fred._

_Yep, their little tradition._

_He turned his head again to look at her. She was gazing at the stars again, unaware that he was watching her, and that his heart was pounding. He loved being close to her.  
_

_She'd been telling him about going to California for the summer, and how her Aunt Susan had invited the entire Weasley clan over for Bailey's birthday celebration. The strange feeling of emptiness had been growing in his stomach. He knew he'd have to spend the entire summer without seeing her, and for some reason this saddened him more than it usually would have. And it wasn't just because she was his best friend.  
_

_"But we're going to the Quidditch Cup this summer!" he told her, begging her to stay. She turned her head to him and looked into his face and said quietly, almost sadly, "There will be other Quidditch Cups. California's my home, it's where all the memories are..."_

_He looked back up at the sky, letting a small sigh escape him. "Everywhere's got memories, Bail," he said. He pushed himself up, and sat against the battlements with his knees pulled up to his chest, playing with his shoestrings. Bailey sat up herself, with her legs crossed Indian-style under her, and she looked around their balcony. It overlooked the lake, and the mountains beyond.  
_

_"I suppose right here's got a few, too," she said, running her fingers over the cool stone.  
_

_There was a very small pause in which George caught her eye and smiled, and then said, "Did you ever tell anyone?" They both knew what he was talking about, and Bailey smiled, the lightest of blushes coming on her cheeks.  
_

_"No," she said. "Did you?"_

_George grinned and looked up at the stars. "No."_

_They were both remembering that early-June night, years ago. Bailey had been a first year, nearly twelve, and George was a second year, just turned thirteen. He'd held her hand, and she'd kissed him very quickly, blushing madly. And that was where it had ended, their three-second romance, three years ago._

_"It was good, wasn't it?" said Bailey. She had that past-memories kind of look on her face and tone in her voice._

_"Definitely," said George with a grin. He felt an urge to reach out and take her hand, but refrained, knowing it would probably just embarrass her._

_Bailey took a long breath of warm air and bit her lip._

_"George?"_

_"Yea?"_

_She looked up at him now, almost afraid to look him in the eyes as she said, slowly and quietly, "Do you ever wonder if...if it would be good_ now_? I-I mean, if..._we_ would be good...together?"_

_George looked thoughtful for a moment, resting his arms on his knees and picking at his fingernails._

_"Yea," he said finally. "I mean, I guess it's a bit strange to...we _are_ best friends and all...but well yeah..." He trailed off, now examining his fingernails with much more interest than he actually had in them._

_"Would you kiss me now?" asked Bailey. Her cheeks had turned bright red and her heart was pounding in her chest, but she felt she had to know. She twisted a lock of brown hair in her fingers, a nervous habit of hers.  
_

_George looked up at this, into her shining blue orbs, and acted on his impulse to take her hand. He pulled her hand away from her hair gently, moving slightly closer to her in the action. He loved the feeling of her soft pale skin in his own large, tan, rough hand._

_"Do you want me to?" He, too, felt as though his heart were going to burst from his chest at any moment._

_"Well I dunno, it's just that I...sort of..."_

_"Fancy me?"_

_An annoying habit that twins often develop is finishing other peoples' sentences, and George had definitely developed it with Bailey, because of the huge amounts of time they spent together. Bailey was hardly surprised anymore to hear her sentences finished from his mouth, but still she was a bit embarrassed to admit that it was true.  
_

_She bit her lip even harder, and nodded almost imperceptibly._

_George shifted slightly before saying, "Good. I mean, that's... Because I've wanted to. Kiss you, I mean. For a while." There was another nearly awkward pause, before he cleared his throat somewhat nervously and said quietly, __"__May I?__"_

_The faintest of smiles crossed Bailey's lips as she whispered her answer. "Yes."_

_George leaned towards her, slowly, and put his hand very gently on the side of her face, brushing her cheek softly with his thumb. He couldn't repress the smile at her slight shudder as their lips touched. It wasn't his first 'real' kiss, he was fairly experienced in the matter, but he wasn't surprised that it was hers, so he started slowly._

_He put his free arm, his left, around her waist, moved closer to her, parted her lips ever so gently with his tongue. She felt tiny, fragile, delicate in his hands, like a porcelain doll he was afraid to break. He was half afraid she'd push him away any second, but she didn't. Instead he felt an arm go about his waist, felt fingers intertwine themselves in his hair._

_"Are you going to tell anyone?" she asked as they broke apart. Her heart was racing, and she kept her arms around him as she spoke, smiling._

_"Everyone," he said, smiling and brushing a curl of brown hair from her face._

_She laughed, and let him pull her body closer and kiss her again, this time more deeply and passionately._

"Shit!" someone yelled, and I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I opened my eyes. Had I fallen asleep? Great! What a perfect way to begin the year, as the retard sleeping in the hallway.

"Are you alright?" I asked. There was a boy standing back up. Apparently he'd tripped over my feet. I recognized him as one of Draco's friends, in my own year. Adrian Pucey. "Sorry," I said, standing up. I don't think I need to tell you how awkward of a situation it was. If you've never been tripped over while taking a nap in a school hallway, try it sometime. It's thrilling.

Anyway, so Adrian Pucey, who usually played as Chaser on the Slytherin team, shrugged and brushed himself off. That simple! I thought he'd yell or try to curse me or something but nope.

"You're Draco's cousin, right?" he asked. I nodded, a bit relieved and a lot confused.

"How did you - "

"You look just like him," he said. "Only you're obviously a girl, with brown hair and blue eyes. And freckles."

He grinned. I noticed his eyes were a pretty pale green color, like light jade, and his teeth were perfectly straight and white. He _was _quite handsome, once I got a good look at him. And was he flirting with me? I could feel a flush creeping up my cheeks, but remained cool and seemingly nonchalant. Well, I _am_ a Malfoy, you know. I returned the smile and extended my hand.

"I'm Bailey," I said, "and I do _not_ usually sleep in school corridors." I laughed. I couldn't help it. It was the first time I'd felt good about myself in about a week. Not that I should, because I'd just been tripped over and probably had dirt all over the backs of my robes, but I did.

"Adrian," he said, taking my hand and, not shaking it, but kissing it! I couldn't keep my laughter inside, though it was probably more a way to cover up the deep flush that'd gone over my face. He laughed, too, and said, "And I do not usually trip over beautiful girls sleeping in school corridors."

My flush could only have deepened. But was that even possible? My face and the back of my neck were so hot!

"Do you have a free period right now?" I asked, more to make conversation than because I really cared. Or so I thought. Maybe I did really care? I didn't know, so I shook the notion out of my head for the moment.

"Er...no," he said, glancing at his watch somewhat nervously. "I'm late to Ancient Runes, actually."

"Oh," I said, somewhat disappointed. "Well I'll see you around, then," I said, smiling.

"Hopefully," he said, flashing a smile that was handsome, self-confident, and flirtatious all at once. I knew anyone who could master such a smile was either someone to stay away from, or someone well worth knowing. And then he ran his long fingers through his sandy-blond hair and continued on down the corridor the way he'd been going.

I went on smiling as I walked to the common room, and for once since last June, the person on my mind was _not_ George Weasley.

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**Author's Note:** Alright, I hope you liked it! Please review, constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks!

Also, one of my friends told me that the erm...previous draft of this chapter (I've lost count of how many times I've written it over!) didn't really sound like George. Like it was out of character. I think I've re-written it so that it works, and keep in mind he's not around anyone he needs to impress by being loud and obnoxious. But let me know what you think! Thanks.


	3. Different Kinds of Pain

**Author's Note:** Alright, I know it's taken me a while, but I finally wrote Chapter Three! I'm really sorry if there are any mistakes or inconsistencies in here, I wrote it all up in about an hour. I'm sorry, I know that the flashback and the chapter are kind of disconnected, and there's no real explanation for that, but I wanted to show you a bit of Bailey's childhood with Draco, and a bit of her character. I'll probably re-write this chapter later...but for now, let me know what you think! Thanks for all the great reviews!

On another note, I've been having some computer troubles, and basically my computer has now gone senile and needs to go live in the retirement home. It won't start all the way. So, I've been using the computer in the living room, but it's super slow and doesn't really have a very good word processor, and I can't access it 24/7 like I usually do. I'm also working on another story, that is NOT a fanfiction, and my hopes are for it to become an actual book some day! Other than that I've been roleplaying and it's been really hot here...yeah... Anyways, I'm gonna put links to my roleplay sites at the bottom of my story, because yeah. Free advertising. haha. On with the story!

**UPDATE:** Alright, so I've reworked the ending. I read it again and realized that I didn't really like it so much, it's not very George to me. So, now it is...or well, a little more, anyway. I hope you like it, leave reviews! Oh, and the links didn't work. And I'm too lazy to do them over, so I'm just taking them off. There are links on my profile :

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Adrian held my hand on the first date, kissed me on the second. Contrary to popular belief, Slytherins can be gentlemen, and he was no exception. He got doors for me, remembered his P's and Q's. He pulled out the chair, picked up the tab, offered me his jacket when I got cold. I'm pretty sure if there had been a puddle around, he'd probably have put his coat in it so I didn't have to step in it.

Now, I know, this kind of middle-aged behavior sounds annoying, but surprisingly, I liked it. I _really_ liked it. I've never really been much of a princess. Maybe when I was younger I could've been called 'doll' or 'sweetheart' or 'precious', but never princess. But I was beginning to think that maybe being a princess wasn't so bad.

I closed my eyes and laid back into the grass, enjoying the last few rays of warm sun that we'd get all year. Adrian stroked my hair, which was splayed out behind me on the grass, and I pretended not to love it so much, but to no avail. No matter how hard I tried, the sounds of Draco and Pansy snogging a few feet away could not be ignored, so I stood up. A little wobbly, of course, as is my style. Adrian laughed at me and stood up, too, taking my hand in his immediately.

"Let's go for a walk," I said, and started off before he could answer. To be honest, he wasn't a very intellectual person, so we walked around the edge of the lake in silence. I was just starting to get tired of the lack of conversation when someone called my name.

"Hello Bailey!" said Leigh Guidry, a seventh year girl I'd known since my first day on the Hogwarts Express. She was walking with her boyfriend, who most people called Fig because hardly anyone could correctly pronounce his first name. I could though. It was Fidelious, but I still called him Fig. I'd met him even _before_ I'd started school, and he'd been my first almost-boyfriend.

I waved back and smiled, but faltered when Fig gave me a dirty look. I turned away quickly, and could feel my face turning red, but I couldn't tell whether I'd been embarrassed to be so enthusiastic about seeing him when he wasn't, or if it was because of my company. No, that was stupid. Sure, I could understand why Fig and the other Gryffindors – I forced myself not to think his name – might be kind of upset with me, but it still hurt. And their judgments were still ungrounded. They didn't know Adrian. All they knew about him was that he was a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team. But apparently that was enough for them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at me curiously, as if he didn't see why my friends' disapproval upset me.

"Oh, I'm just..." I trailed off. Well, I was upset. I wouldn't lie to him. I didn't lie. But I was _not_ about to let him know exactly how much my friends' opinions of him mattered to me.

So now we'd been going out for a few weeks. The dirty looks from my Gryffindor friends had not ended. Neither had the icy silences I endured while in their presence. So I spent a lot of time with Adrian and Draco. And the inevitable oafs who swarmed around them, like Pansy Parkinson or Crabbe and Goyle. But I ignored them. I learned not to pay any attention to them, and I was happy to be able to spend so much time with my boyfriend and my cousin.

I got a letter from Aunt Susan one morning at breakfast. That wasn't unusual, she sent me letters a few times a week, and I loved getting them. The odd thing was the contents of this letter.

_Dear Bailey,_

_Yes, sweetheart, Mr. Richardson has said that he'd love to take you on as an intern for the _Daily Prophet_ this summer. But, don't you think it's a bit early to be worrying about that now?_

_Your father says to send you his love. You know he'd write you, but he still hasn't gotten a hang of owl post yet. You know how he can be. I honestly don't understand how he missed all this, living his entire life in the wizarding community, but he is oblivious as ever._

_Bradin and Chelsea are here visiting me. Bradin made cookies that he wanted me to send along, I suppose they'll arrive soon. Chelsea also made cookies...but I'll spare you from that horror._

_So, dear, how's school going for you? I hope you're getting good and ready for your O.W.L.s, they'll be crucial to your future. How has the Triwizard Tournament been going? Have they performed the first task? I do hope that Diggory boy gets it, I used to know his mother, charming lad._

_Speaking of which, I've heard from Molly that you've bagged yourself your own charming lad. Why haven't I heard of him? You must let me know who it is! Your mother would've been ecstatic. Send my love on to the Weasleys! Oh, and Chelsea says to tell them "Hi."_

_Love,_

_Aunt Susan_

I smiled as I read, and looked up to see a tin already sitting on top of my nearly empty plate, and a barn owl waiting for payment. I put two Knuts in his little leather pouch and he flew off. When I looked up, Ginny was looking at me curiously.

I grinned. "Chelsea says to tell you all 'Hello' for her."

"Oh good," said Fred, speaking to me for the first time in two weeks.

"_One_ of the Thompson women loves us," continued George, glaring at me through his sarcastic remark. I narrowed my eyes, determined not to let them see how that hurt me. Why did it even hurt me? What should I care if they didn't believe that I loved them.

"No," I said, "Aunt Susan loves you, too."

I stood and stormed from the table, not even sure of where I was going. _'Just away,'_ I told myself.

I ended up in an empty classroom on the second story, sitting with my head on my arms on the cold stone floor. _'Why am I crying?'_ I thought, trying to push the tears back into my eyes with the heels of my hands. But at this point it didn't matter. Everything that I'd resented over the past month was coming back to pour out of my eyes. The glares that my Gryffindor friends had been giving me, the sarcastic remarks from the Weasley twins, the rude comments that Draco kept making about my friends.

_Draco sat, leaned up against the tree that stood guard outside his bedroom door. He looked at ease, with his arm propped up on his knee and a smile on his pale face. A face that was still slightly rounded by childhood, with silver eyes that still had a happy, light glint in them._

_The girl who sat across from him, legs crossed Indian-style under her blue dress, looked just like him, but she had curly brown hair and blue eyes, and just a few freckles across her cheeks._

_"Umm..." she said, looking up as she thought as though she could see into her own head. "Dare."_

_Draco smiled wider, and there was a brief pause before he said quietly, "I dare you to fly onto the roof."_

_Bailey's eyes widened. "But I can't fly a broom, I'm only eight!" she said, frantic for an excuse to get out of the dare. _'What a stupid idea,'_ she thought, _'picking dare...'

_"Bailey," he said, that mischievous glint coming into his eyes, "I'm just seven and I can fly. Maybe you're just scared..."_

_She looked at the grass, a too-perfect shade of green. "I...I can't do it, Draco."_

_"Well," he said, "I guess you could climb up or something. Alright, I dare you to go on the roof." He looked smug as Bailey stood and brushed off the back of her dress. She examined the house, trying to think of the best way to complete her task, and decided that she could climb the tree and cross over onto the roof above Draco's bedroom._

_She started the climb, slipping on the first branch, but managing to hold on with her arms, and climbed higher. After much fear, many splinters and a scraped knee, she made it to roof level, and started inching out along a thick branch. Draco watched apprehensively._

_"Wait, Bailey, you don't have to!" he said. He'd never believed that she would do it._

_"No, I can do it," she said, but her hand slipped again and she scraped her palm, and swung around to hang upside down on the branch, hugging it close like a sloth. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she heard Draco swear below her. For a moment she wondered where he'd ever heard such a word, but then she realized that her legs were losing their hold. She crossed her ankles, and tried to pull herself back up right. But her heart was making it hard for her to concentrate on anything but its drumming. She heard it in her ears, and guessed that the blood had rushed to her head._

_She looked down to see Draco, but he was gone. A moment later he came running back around the house, followed quickly by Bailey's mother and Aunt Narcissa, but it was too late. Bailey became dizzy and fell to the ground with a sickening crunch that meant she'd broken her arm. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was her mother's terrified scream.  
_

"Bailey?"

I jerked my head up as his voice reached out to me from the doorway. I sniffled and pushed away more tears, praying that he couldn't see them, but I knew he could, because he looked worried. He crossed the room and set my cookie tin on the desk, and crouched down next to me.

"Are you, erm... Are you alright?"

"No."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, sitting down and leaning against the wall.

I stood up, ignoring the headache that came with the sudden motion, and took a few steps away from him. I hadn't been getting much sleep lately, so I was even more off balance than usual. _'Stupid O.W.L.s,'_ I thought, scowling.

"Don't be sorry, George. Just don't be an ass."

He stood up, too, but didn't try to come closer. Smartly, he realized that he'd only end up chasing me further away. "Do you...want to talk about it?"

Why? Why, why, why, did he choose now to be decent? I didn't like him today. Couldn't he be nice on a day that I _did _like him?

I nearly yelled. "No, I do not want to talk about it! There's nothing to talk about!"

Now he did step closer, but before I could move he put his hands on my shoulders and gently, but firmly, held me in place. Why was I so weak compared to him?

"Is this about me?" he asked, somehow still calm. "About Pucey?"

I tried to shove him off of me. It didn't work, of course. "It isn't about _anything!_ JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed, finally jerking away from him, but he caught me around the waist.

He looked angry. "Why are you with him, Bailey? Because you know it would piss me off?" Yep, definitely angry. "Well it worked!"

I took a shuddering breath, fighting back tears again. "I happen to _like_ Adrian, he's..."

"An asshole?" He was grinning. That infuriated me, but somehow my voice remained calm. Shaky, weak, but calm.

"So why do you care? What's the difference to you? Just because he's a Slytherin? Because of some stupid house rivalry that started before either of us were born?"

His grin slipped away for a moment, but then came back. "Yes." I scowled, and turned away so that he couldn't see me wiping my eyes. _Stupid tear ducts._ "But that's not it," he said. He dropped his arm, but I didn't move. "I just...it's _you_."

Could he get any more confusing?

"_Me?_ If you cared about me, why not _do_ something about it?"

"What could I do? What _did_ I do?"

"YOU KISSED ME!" I yelled, hitting him with my fists, but it did no good. He was too strong, too tough from years and years of Quidditch and five brothers. "You kissed me and then you _ignored_ me!"

"I was waiting for _you!_" he said, his voice rising. He was trying not to get angry, though with me or with himself, I couldn't tell. "Didn't you know? Don't you _know_ that I care? All I thought about all summer was you and two weeks after we get back, you've gotten yourself a new interest! Can't bother with us anymore, right? Bailey, I care."

I frowned, and when I spoke again it was in a low sort of growl, that surprised even me, though I wouldn't admit it. "Then why don't you do something about it?"

And I could do nothing against his strong arms, completely powerless as he pulled my body up against his and kissed me. He held my face in his rough hand. The kiss was invading, hostile. It wasn't the gentle thing we'd had last June. It was an attack. He was _doing_ something about it, in his way. He was forceful as he pressed our mouths together, wrenched my lips open with his. But it wasn't altogether unpleasant. I wished I didn't think that way but I did. I liked it, but not like this. I pushed against him with my hands, as hard as I could, and he let me push him away.

The contact of my hand against his face was pleasing. The fierce sting on my palm, the loud _smack!_ of flesh hitting flesh. Mostly the shocked look on his face as he reached up to touch his fingers to his cheek. "FUCK OFF!" I yelled, before running from the room**.**


	4. Snow

Author's Note: Hello again! I know it's been way too long since I've updated this. But I decided to pretty much throw out my complicated story chart and just write. Welll I hope you like it! And don't kill me for taking so long!

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I regretted it every day of the month that followed. Maybe I was being dramatic, but I couldn't remember a harsher November. It wasn't just the chill in the air, or the way the ground hardened and frost crept up on our windows. It wasn't the dirty looks from the Gryffindors, either, because I'd gotten so used to that I hardly noticed. The little charm that my relationship with Adrian had put on me had begun to wear off, slowly but surely. I began to notice his little flaws. Like when he chose to sit next to Daphne Greengrass and left me to sit across the table, or when his eyes drifted in and out of focus when I talked to him about my latest invention.

I started to wonder if maybe I was the one who was wrong? Did Adrian really care? He was demanding, but lacked intensity; polite but uninterested; and when he kissed me there was passion, but not for me - for my body.

The worst of it was that news of the fight between George and I had somehow gotten out - no doubt he'd told Fred, who'd told Lee, who'd told Angelina, and so on. Secrets didn't stay safe for long in Gryffindor tower - and now the whole house seemed either out to get me or dead set on pretending I didn't exist. Even Ginny Weasley, who I'd always counted as a friend, wouldn't speak to me. And George wouldn't even look at me, and the longer it went on, the more - what's the right way to say this? - _drawn to him_, I felt.

Adrian was getting pushy, too. Constantly invading more of my space than was necessary. I knew what he wanted. Tried to convince myself he didn't, but I knew. I won't lie, it was nice to be held and kissed, but I was terrified of his expectations.

The first snow of the year was when it came crashing down on me.

"Baby," he called me for the millionth time, kissing my neck on a hidden staircase behind a tapestry. I wondered for a moment whether he'd ever think of something more imaginative to call me, but stopped as his cold fingers found the skin at my waist. I gasped and stiffened, but they continued their way up my ribcage under my sweater.

"Adrian," I said, trying to distract him, and spotting white flakes drifting past a window through a hole in the tapestry. "It's snowing outside! We should go see!"

He didn't even spare a glance, but kissed my lips and said, "Baby it'll be snowing for months. What's the big deal? I know something more fun we could do." I could feel his grin against my lips, and closed my eyes tightly.

"B-but...it's tradition," I said, stumbling on my words. "We always go out for the first snow..." I couldn't help but think that George would've upheld this one of my most sacred traditions. He always had before.

"Bailey," said Adrian, seemingly deciding to just cut the bullshit as he looked me in the eyes, at last. "When are we gonna do this?" His voice was just above a whisper, and the look in his eyes gave me goosebumps. My breathing became uneven and I tried to find words. "I..."

"I love you."

'_HE'S LYING. HE'S A LIAR. DON'T BELIEVE HIM,'_ my brain was screaming at me, but I was frozen and could only feel his hand move to my breast and give a soft squeeze.

I panicked.

I ran.

I broke from him and threw the tapestry aside. I didn't even think to straighten my shirt or my hair as I sprinted down the corridors and down the marble staircase, and before I knew it, I was crouching in the snow a hundred yards from the castle, sobbing. I was disgusted with myself - why didn't I stop him? Why had I liked him? Why had I betrayed my friends?

"_Bailey, sweetheart, it's alright," said a woman with a gentle voice, as a small girl cried in her lap. She stroked the girl's curly brown hair, and made a shhh noise until Bailey's sobs lessened. "Everyone makes mistakes, precious."_

"_I-I didn't mean to hurt him, Mommy. I didn't me-mean it. I'm so s-sorry," cried Bailey into her mother's neck. "I didn't want...Don't let them t-take me aw-way!"_

"_Shh-shh-shhh," Aphrodite said, as Benjamin poked his head around the corner._

"_She all right?" he said quietly, and Aphrodite nodded._

"_I've talked to the er...Healers. They said Billy's gonna be fine. Just needs a good memory charm," he said, coming over and crouching down to look at Bailey. "Okay, Bails? Nothing to worry about!" He kissed her cheek, and Bailey drew in a deep shaky breath of her father's peppermint scent._

I hadn't realized I was crying for my mother until I felt a big, warm hand on my back.


	5. In Fact

**Author's Note:** Alright, so it's a shorty, but hopefully a goodie! Again, sorry about the Georgelessness, I _think_ I'll include him in the next one. I think. Actually, I'm pretty sure, but I don't wanna make any promises! So I do hope you like this. I do! But that's not saying much, cause I wrote it. Sorry there's no flashback. I'm thinking of making the entire next chapter one big flashback, so that should be really fun! Anyway, enjoy! Oh yeah, and thanks soo much for all the reviews, and keep them coming, because the more reviews I get, the more people I like know my writing! And the more people who like my writing, the more inclined I am to write more of it, faster!

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For a split second, I'd hoped it would be George. That he would feel sorry for me and forgive me and love me again. But the hand was far more gentle than I know George's would've been. Whereas George might've rubbed my back, this one just floated lightly on my sweater. And when I turned my head to see its owner, it wasn't a bright orange that met my vision.

Draco's eyes seemed deeper than their usual flat, stony grey, and his forehead was scrunched up in a look of concern – one that wasn't seen often on him. He was quiet as he shifted to a sitting position next to me, and waited for me to cry it out. I knew he'd be impatient about it – at least inwardly, as was his nature – so I forced myself to sniff and reign in my tears, and sat up across from him, crossing my legs 'Indian-style'.

He took my hand in his, like he used to when we were very little. "What happened?" It was kind of more a statement than a question, the way he said it. His usual drawl was strained with frustration or anger, whichever it was. I wasn't really sure.

I felt myself frown, like I was about to cry again, and just shook my head. I hated when my emotions got the best of me. Even my body was against me.

"It was Adrian," he said. Again, not a question. I swallowed, and nodded. "Did he hurt you?"

_Yes._ "No."

"Yes he did. I'll kill the fucking bastard!" said Draco, beginning to stand up, but I grabbed his shirtsleeve.

"No, Draco, please don't! He didn't hurt me! He didn't t-touch me, he didn't!" Draco knelt in the snow, which was really piling up by now, and looked in my eyes. "You're a terrible liar, Bay."

I couldn't help it – I exploded! I just started crying again, for no reason. God, I'd been doing a lot of crying lately! I hated the baby I'd become – the emotional basket case. But I just sat there crying. "I'm a-a te-errible per-son," I cried. "N-nobody likes m-me anymore a-and I can't even…can't e-ven stop cr-crying!"

Draco surprised me by putting his arms around me, and I hadn't realized I was cold until then. He noticed too. "You're freezing, Bailey. Let's get you inside."

I breathed deeply – Draco always smelled like expensive cologne and something herbal and the jasmine that grew all over Malfoy Manor. "How'd you know I'd be out h-here?" I said, sobs subsiding. He grinned. "You always come out for the first snow. I was surprised you weren't here already, when I saw you running out the front door."

I looked at him, surprised, as we walked toward the yellow light spilling from the castle's front door. "I didn't think you knew about that. I'm nearly never with you when it first snows…"

"I know a lot that you don't know I know. For instance," he stopped, and mimed what looked like writing something in a book. "'_Dear diary; Today was the first snow of the year, and I got to spend it with the Weasleys at the Burrow! I was so glad it finally snowed – it took until nearly Christmas! We went outside and George held my hand and – '_ OW!"

He scowled at me and massaged his arm where I'd punched him. "What the hell, Draco? You _read_ my _diary_!?"

"Well, yeah."

I returned his scowl and stormed into the castle alone.


End file.
